Headband for telephone operators&#39; headsets



A118. 3, 1950 v A. M. M oPHE -r 2,518,035

HEADBAND FOR TELEPHONE OPERATORS HEADSETS Filed Fb. 4. 1947 mm/ mmum' nwavrw? AM 44/10 PMs-A7 Arm/Mir Patented Aug. 8, i950 HEADSET Alexander .M. MacPheat, Brookfield, Ill., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, 7 New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 4, 1947, Serial No. 726,318

6 Claims. 001. 179-156) This invention relates to a head band for a telephone pperators head set and more particularlyto-an adjustable type of head band.

- An object of the present-invention is to provide an-adjustable light-weight head band of improved construction. A particular feature of this invention is the design and arrangement of parts, including a one-piece cradle-member, which produces a head band assembly having no hair gaps, crevices or projecting parts that might catch and entangle the hair and cause the operator annoyance when the head band is applied to the operator's head. one embodiment of the invention, a onepiece cradle member is provided having a pair of converging stepped recesses for receiving the converging straight end portions of the looped headband wire which is shaped to fit the operators head and each of the straight end portions ofthehead band wire is held in adjusted position in the cradle by a hairpin type spring yieldingly gripping the wire and mounted between a knurled bushing, slidable on the wire and driven into the end of a stepped recess of the cradle member, and a washer slidable on'the wire and resting on a shoulder formed by the recess. Each end of the wire is formed with-lateral projections which, incooperation with the washer, serve to limit 'the'outward movement of the wire. A rod'of a yoke member for supporting the telephone receiver is adjustably connected to the cradle by=a knurled bushing driven into the end of a recess centrally located in the cradle to receive the rod and the bushing is provided with in- 'tegral spring fingers for frictionally holding the rod'in adjusted position and for engaging an enlarged head of the rod to limit its outward movement. K 1 5 in another embodiment of the invention, each of-thestraight end portions of the head band wire is'--s'lidably mounted within a knurled'bushing, which is driven into the end of a recess in the. "cradle member and has spring members extending therefrom yieldingly engaging the wire to hold it in adjusted position and which limit the outward movement of the wire by engaging a washer mounted on the wire and retained thereon by shoulders formed on the end of the wire.

"The invention will be' more fully understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating several embodiments thereof in which *Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a head band ass'enibly'illustrative of the invention; 7 Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through the cradle member of the head band assembly;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view takenon the line 3'3"of Fig. 'z'showing the spring means engaging the head band wire; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view similar to Fig.- 2 illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the .head band Ill comprises, generally, a head bandwire or strap H and a telephone receiver supporting yoke member 12 adjustably connected to a cradle member l3. The head band wire II is formed from a single piece of wire, as shown in.Fig..1. with straight end portions |4-|4 arranged in converging relation to each other. The cradle member I3 is a relatively flat one-piece die casting of substantially triangular shape .having a pair of converging recesses |5|5 enlarged at their outer ends to form shoulders |6|6 anda centrally positioned recess H. The straight, .converging end portions |--|4 of the head band wire l l are mounted for longitudinal movement within the recesses |5|5 andare guided for movement therein by bushings 2 I2| and washers 23-23 and are held in adjusted position :by relatively wide hairpin shaped springs 25-25 interposed between the bushings 2| and the washer 23. Prior to the head band wire I I being assembled in the cradle, a bushing 2|, a spring clip 25, and a washer 23 are assembled on each of the straight end portions I4 and the ends of the wire are flattened toprovide lateral projections, as indicated at'21. The straight end portion M of the head band wire I with the washer 23 and-the spring 25, is inserted in the recess l5 of the cradle and the bushing 2|, which hasia longitudinally knurled periphery, is driven into the outer end of the recess -|5, as illustratedin Fig. 2. The outside diameter of the bushingv 2| is substantially larger than the diameter of the enlarged portion of the recess I5 so that, as the bushing is forced therein, the teeth of the knurling thereon cut into the walls of the recess and firmly secure the bushing in place in the cradle. In assembled position, .the washer 123 rests on the shoulder H5 in spaced relation .to the bushing 2|, with suilicient clearance therebetween for free reception of the hairpin spring 25. The spring 25, shaped asshown in Fig. '3, yieldably engages the wire l4 and holds the wire in'axially adjusted position relative to the cradle and the wire is limited in its outward longitudinal movement by the shoulder 21 in cooperation with the washer 23. I

The-central aperture l1 receives a rod 30 .of the yoke-member I2, which is provided with trunnions "3| to engage and support a telephone receiver-(not shown). 'I'heyoke rod 3!] is enlarged at one end to form a head 3| and is provided at its other end with a reduced portion 32, which fltsintoan aperture in the yoke l2 and is upset or riveted 'over, as indicated'at 33, to securecthe rod 3|l tothe yoke. Prior to the assembly of the rod to :the yoke 12, there slippedin place :on

the rod 30 a bushing 35 having a longitudinally knurled periphery and a slotted extension 31 forming a plurality of segmental spring fingers which yieldingly engage the rod. After the bushing 35 and the yoke 12 are assembled on the rod 30, the headed end of the rod 30 is inserted in the recess I1 and the bushing 35 is driven into the outer end of the recess to permanently secure the bushing to the cradle. The spring fingers 3'! serve to hold the rod 30 in adjusted position relative to the cradle l3 and to limit the outward movement of the rod by engaging the enlarged head 3| thereof.

In the form of construction illustrated in Fig. 4, the cradle H3 is provided with a pair of converging recesses !i5-| 1,5, in which the straight end portions l4hi of the head band wire .II are adjustably mounted. Each straight portion I20 of the wire slidably passes through a bushing Hi and. a washer I23 and has its end flattened to provide laterally disposed shoulders E2! to prevent. the withdrawal of the wire through the washer. The bushing I2 I the periphery of which is longitudinally knurled, is driven into the outer end of the recess H5 and to permanently secure it to the cradle H3. The portion I25 of the bushing :21 is longitudinally slotted to provide a plurality of segmental spring fingers yieldably engaging the wire I28 for holdin the Wireln adjusted position and for engaging the washer I23 and, in cooperation with the shoulders I21, for limiting the outward movement of the wire 14.

From the above, it will be seen that an improved lightweight head band assembly is provided, which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble, and which has no projections or hair gaps to catch the hair of the operator using it.

What is claimed is:

1. In a head band for a telephone head set, the combination of a one-piece cradle having a plurality of recesses therein, a head band wire having straight end portions adju-stably disposed within a plurality of said recesses, and means for adjustably secured each of said wire end portions 7 in said recesses comprising a bushing encircling saidwire end portion and secured in the end of said recess, spring means yieldably engaging the wire end portion to hold said wire in adjusted position, means for retaining said spring means against axial movement, and a laterally extending portion on the end of said wire to prevent the withdrawal of said wire from said recess.

2. A head band for a telephone head set comprising a one-piece cradle having a plurality of recesses therein, a head band wire having straight end portions adjustably disposed within said recesses, a yoke for sup-porting a receiver of said head set and having a rod secured thereto adjustably disposed in one of said recesses, and means for adjustably securing said wire end portions and said rod in said recesses comprising bushings secured in the ends of said recesses and individually encircling said wire end portions and said rod, individual spring means yieldably engaging said wires and said rod adjacent said bushings, means for preventing axial movement of saidspring means, and shoulders formed on the ends of said wire end portions and said rod for limiting the axial movement thereof. .3. In a head band assembly including a head band wire having straight cylindrical end portions and a yoke member having a straight cylindrical portion, the combination, with said head band wire and said yoke member of means for securing the head band wire and yoke member in adjustable relation comprisinga one-piece cradle member having a plurality of recesses therein adapted to receive the cylindrical portions of said head band wire and said yoke member, annular members rigidly connected to said cradle in the outer ends of said recesses and individually encircling each of said straight cylindrical portions. a spring member extending from each of said annular members and yieldably engaging said cylindrical portions, and enlarged ends on said cylindrical portions.

4. In a, head band for a telephone head set, the combination of a one piece cradle having a stepped recess thereinproviding a shoulder in said recess, a head band having a straight wire end adjustably disposed within said stepped recess, and mean-s for adjustably securing said wire in said recess comprising a bushing encircling the wire and secured in the end of said recess, said bushing having a longitudinally knurled periphery forming teeth projecting into the walls of said recess, a washer encircling said wire and engaging said shoulder of said recess in predetermined spaced relation to said bushing, a wide hairpin shaped spring mounted against move-.- ment between said bushing and said washer and yieldably engaging said wire, and an enlarged end portion on said wire engageable with said washer to limit the axial movement of said wire.

5. In a telephone head set assembly, a head band wire, a receiver supporting yoke having an extending rod, a cast metallic cradle comprising a body portion having spaced pockets therein, a bushing having a knurled peripheral surface forced into the outer ends of each of said pockets and having central apertures for receiving the ends of said head band wire and said rod, and resilient means associated with said bushings in said pockets for engaging said rod and wires ad:- jacent their ends to resist movement of the rod and wire longitudinally of said pockets.

6. In a head band for a telephone set, the com bination of a one-piece cradle having a recess therein, a head band wire having a straight end portion adjustably disposed within said recess, and means for adjustably securing said wire end portion in said recess comprising a bushing encircling said wire end portion and secured in the end of said recess, a spring member in said recess yieldably engaging the wire end portion to hold said wire in adjusted position, a washer on said wire end portion, means for sup-porting said washer in predetermined spaced relation to said bushing for retaining said spring in engagement with said bushing to prevent axial displacement thereof, and a shoulder formed on said straight wire portion engageable with said washer to limit the axial movement of the wire end portion.

ALEXANDER M. MACPHEAT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: V

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,587,409 Ouillett June 1, 1926 1,646,890 Tuska Oct. 25, 1927 2,237,752 Clarke Apr. 8, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date A 42,598 Norway Jan. 3, 1925 

